The Broncos’ starting right guard returned to practice today, in full pads no less, for the first time since breaking a bone in his forearm on Aug. 14.

“I haven’t seen him smile that big in a while, so that’s good,” Broncos coach John Fox said.

Kuper suffered a dislocated ankle (and broken bones and torn ligaments along with it) in the 2011 regular season finale on Jan. 1. He missed the Broncos’ two playoff games — the first two playoff games since he was drafted in 2006 — and recovered in time to join his teammates at training camp.

He has been unable to play in each of the Broncos’ first three games.

Kuper, the Broncos’ best all-around lineman, shouldn’t be ready to play this week against Oakland, but the fact he’s starting to practice should come as great news to the Broncos’ offense.

Kuper declined an interview request Wednesday afternoon, saying he wanted to wait until he returned to a game to talk to reporters.

Defensive tackle Ty Warren, who re-tore his right triceps on Sunday, has been placed on injured reserve. This is his third consecutive season on IR.

The Broncos have signed veteran free agent center Dan Koppen to add depth on the offensive line and push young starter J.D. Walton, and the team has re-signed backup quarterback Caleb Hanie, who was released Saturday in a cost-saving move.

To make room for Koppen, the Broncos waived reserve center C.J. Davis.

The Broncos are expected to fill out their practice squad Monday by signing guard-center Quintin Saulsberry, a rookie from Mississippi State who was among the Minnesota Vikings’ final cuts Friday.

Saulsberry is 6-3, 305 pounds. He is the only player in Mississippi State history to start all 49 games of his career. He went undrafted but apparently the Broncos had a decent grade on him leading up to the April 2012 draft.

The Broncos’ offense coordinator answered several questions about quarterback Peyton Manning when I tried to shift the conversation to the offensive line, where the team is trying to (temporarily) replace Chris Kuper with Manny Ramirez.

Because Ramirez was inactive most of last season, we haven’t gotten to see much from him. So I asked McCoy what we should know about Manny.

“One of the best of all-time. His play speaks for itself, really,” McCoy said.

Huh?

Oh! McCoy thought I said “Manning.” All due respect to Ramirez, who has filled in admirably while Kuper was recovering from that ankle injury, but he’s hardly a future Hall of Famer.

I told McCoy that I indeed meant Ramirez and not Manning, and then McCoy’s answer made a lot more sense.

“We’ve got a philosophy here of “next man up.” Last year, when [Kuper] went down, Russ Hochstein did a great job. Manny’s been with the ones almost the entire camp, because Chris was limited early on when we started here, so he’s done a great job, and he’s fit right in. We’re not going to skip a beat,” McCoy said. “That’s been our philosophy the whole year. There’s going to be some injuries from week to week, and the next guy steps up. That’s the importance of all the OTAs, minicamp and training camp, so that when your opportunity does come, you’ve got to make the most of it in this business.”

In the preseason opener against the Bears, the Broncos’ Orlando Franklin started at his customary right tackle position but switched to right guard with the No. 2 offense.

There are no plans to make the switch full-time. While the Broncos are expected to keep nine offensive linemen on their 53-man roster, only seven typically dress on game day.

“You’ve got to get ready for a whole season,” said Broncos coach John Fox. “And a guy’s flexibility is critical especially when you set your active game roster with seven linemen. So you need to have swing guys who can play inside and outside.”

The Broncos usual right guard, Chris Kuper, was given the Bears’ game off so he could continue to ease back from his lower left leg and ankle injuries. Kuper is expected to start the second preseason game next Saturday against Seattle at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

One of the biggest questions confronting the 2012 Broncos, but seldom discussed amid the Peyton Manning excitement: Can they succeed running the ball using a conventional running style?

The Broncos finished the 2011 season ranked No. 1 in rushing, and 70 percent credit goes to quarterback Tim Tebow. I’ll give 10 percent to John Fox and Mike McCoy for coming up with the read-option offense that best suited Tebow’s skills; 10 percent to an improved run-blocking offensive line with run-mauler Orlando Franklin at right tackle; and 10 percent to tailback Willis McGahee.

Veteran right guard Chris Kuper was the only Broncos starter absent from today’s first Organized Team Activity because of injury.

Kuper suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the 2011 regular-season finale Jan. 1 and has had two subsequent surgeries. Kuper is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, if not the mandatory minicamp in mid-June. With Kuper watching from the sidelines, veteran Manny Ramirez lined up with the first-team offensive line (along with RT Orlando Franklin, C JD Walton, LG Zane Beadles and LT Ryan Clady).

Tight end Julius Thomas, who had surgery on his ankle earlier this spring, also is not participating in workouts yet and is still wearing a walking boot on his foot.

Two players skipped the voluntary OTA because of contract issues: Kicker Matt Prater, who has not signed his restricted free agent tender, and defensive tackle Ty Warren, who has declined the Broncos’ request for him to take a pay cut.

Two other Broncos were absent for off-field reasons: Linebacker DJ Williams, whose DUI trial began in Denver today; and rookie defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, who is excused because of graduation at the University of Cincinnati.

With the Broncos poised to make three picks Friday in the NFL draft, here is a look at the player pool they have to choose from as they work through the draft’s second day.

At No. 36 — the fourth pick of the day — they will likely be looking at a pool of candidates that could include Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes, Stanford tight end Coby Fleener and Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill. Fleener and Hill, in particular, may already be gone having carried first-round grades from most teams into this draft.

The Rams, in particular, who will pick at No. 33, are on the hunt for a wide receiver and had A.J. Jenkins targeted in that spot, but Jenkins went in the first round Thursday night. Fleener is likely the best player on the board for some teams when they open things up today and if he were there when the Broncos were on the clock he would certainly test the team’s best-player-available mantra there.

LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle, who the Giants considered with the No. 32 pick Thursday night, is also still available and is one of the more polished receivers on the board.

In the defensive front Reye is an athletic player who has tested better in workouts than he played at times in his career with the Huskies. But he has flashed plenty of potential and performed well at the Senior Bowl, winning many 1-on-1 battles with some of the best offensive linemen on this draft board during the practice week in Mobile, Ala.

Clemson’s Brandon Thompson is also a candidate in the second round as well and projects into either a nose tackle in a 3-4 or an interior anchor in a 4-3 like the Broncos play. Thompson was one of the strongest players on his team.

The Broncos figure to take a hard look at ASU quarterback Brock Osweiler today too and will come out of this draft with a developmental passer. At cornerback Central Florida’s Josh Robinson is worthy of a second-round pick as is Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin. Boykin could also give the Broncos a potential top-shelf returner.

And at linebacker Miami’s Sean Spence and Nebraska’s Lavonte David have the kind of instincts and athleticism to fit the Broncos’ scheme. Spence is one of the most savvy players on the board while David is a non-stop, high effort player. Utah State’s Bobby Wagner deserves a look as well.

Miami of Ohio guard Brandon Brooks, a massive prospect at 346 pounds who also ran a 4.99 40-yard dash at his pro day, is just the kind of power player head coach John Fox likes in the Broncos front as well.

Denver’s offensive line is the unit in the NFL that has opened every game this season with the same starting five.

It’s also the league’s second youngest unit (averaging 24.8 years of age), behind Seattle (24.5).

“They’ve gotten better every week,” offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said. “That’s something that is going to take time coming together with the limited practices we had going into the season. Like everybody else in this league, we are going to grow and keep going.”

New England’s Nate Solder, the rookie offensive tackle out of Colorado, is now on the other side of the altitude issue.

Judging from an interview with the Boston Herald this week, it sounds as though Solder. a Denver native, is downplaying its effect when teammates ask about playing Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

“At CU, we always tried to make a big deal about that,” Solder told the Boston newspaper.

“But we didn’t win a whole lot of games when I was there, so maybe it didn’t make a whole lot of difference.”

Broncos rookie right offensive tackle Orlando Franklin has started every game and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said he has been impressed with the progress made by the 6-foot-7, 330-pounder out of the University of Miami.

“He’s gotten better,” McCoy said this week. “Similar to the two young guys, Zane (Beadles) and J.D. (Walton), last year – each week he’s gotten better. With any football player, the more experience you have, the better you’ll be.

“Early on, Orlando made some mistakes and he learned from it. He stayed positive and Dave (offensive line coach Dave Magazu) has done a great job with him, cleaned some things up.”
Franklin is learning the pro game, McCoy said.

“It’s different than college football,” McCoy explained. “No doubt about it, the speed (of pass rushers) coming off that edge, the techniques you need … he’s learned our system. There are certain things you’re going to learn from week to week. That comes with experience, but he’s done a nice job.”

The Denver Post on Thursday will release a 16-page Broncos and NFL preview, breaking down team needs and John Elway’s vision for where the team will head. Find it in a special print section and online at denverpost.com/broncos.

An overnight sensation eight years in the making. After not starting more than five games in any season since 2006, Lloyd led the NFL in receiving yards in 2010 and earned his first Pro Bowl berth. He is the Broncos’ unquestioned No. 1 option on the outside.

Did you know? Lloyd was a three-time Missouri state high jump champion in high school.

LT Ryan Clady

After his 2009 Pro Bowl season, tried to play his way through his rehab from knee surgery in 2010. NFL personnel executives said it showed in his play, but he showed quickness and nimble feet this preseason. If the Broncos succeed up front, he will be a big reason.

Did you know? Clady is one of only four players in the league from the 2008 draft to have started the first 48 games of his NFL career.

See the rest of the offense, starters and reserves, after the jump.Read more…

Broncos vice president John Elway sits with coaches in Denver during a preseason game against the Seahawks on Aug. 27.

A massive, 16-page Broncos and NFL preview section will publish this Thursday, with The Denver Post looking in-depth at the changes new Broncos vice president John Elway is making with the team. Look for it in a special print section and online at denverpost.com/broncos.

For an early look, Elway talked to Post reporter Jeff Legwold and ranked the four most important positions when building an NFL team:

1. Quarterback

“Far and away the most important position,” Elway said. “You need the guy to win you a championship from the pocket, to be a leader, to make it go. And you’re looking for the athlete at the position who can operate from the pocket and get out when he needs to.”

There was a scary moment here at Dove Valley, when after a running play, left tackle Ryan Clady, right tackle Orlando Franklin and defensive end Elvis Dumervil all lay tangled in the grass.

Dumervil and Franklin quickly returned to the next rep of team drills, while Clady was pulled out to talk to head athletic trainer Steve “Greek” Antonopulos. Greek checked out Clady’s left leg/knee, and then gave Clady his helmet back, and Clady returned to the sideline.

Former Broncos offensive linemen Ryan Harris has signed with the Eagles.

Ryan Harris, the Broncos’ starting right tackle since the start of the 2008, has agreed to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Broncos visited with Harris at the team headquarters Tuesday and thought they had a good to sign him. But Harris eventually decided it would be a better career move to get a fresh start elsewhere, especially a team that’s been a perennial playoff contender, according to an NFL source.

The Broncos unceremoniously released center Casey Wiegmann last February, believing the 37-year-old, 285-pound lineman no longer fit the Broncos plan to get younger and bigger up front.

At least so far this year, Wiegmann has the last laugh.

Wiegmann re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in March, the team he played for from 2001-2007 before joining the Broncos as a free agent under Mike Shanahan. Now Wiegmann is anchoring an offensive line that is blocking for the league’s No. 1-ranked running game.

“Oh man, we’ve been so fortunate to have Casey here. He’s done a tremendous job for us,” Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel said. “He’s been leading since the day he stepped in the weight room this offseason, I don’t think he missed a single offseason workout, so he’s a guy that has added a tremendous amount of leadership, and shown our young guys what it takes to be successful in the NFL.”

Kansas City coach Todd Haley, who first met Wiegmann in 1996 when Wiegmann spent the first of his two seasons with the New York Jets, said Wiegmann has been a perfect fit both on the field and in the locker room for the Chiefs.

“I can’t put anyone as more important to us as a team than Casey,” Haley said. “You didn’t see any slow down from him. He’s always going to be a little undersized for an interior offensive lineman, but he never let that get in his way.”

McDaniels earlier in the day played coy about any potential moves on the line following the bye, but it appears Harris has his job back at right tackle, while the team is giving Beadles another shot at left guard, where he first spent most of training camp.

“There are some moving parts, I think. We are going to see how it goes,” coach Josh McDaniels said Tuesday before practice. “We certainly can fix some things. That isn’t putting the onus on one player or the other, I just think we are trying to find the most productive group that we can and that is happening in a lot of different places on our football team. So, we are going to see how that pans out this week.”

Of the 45 players who were active and in uniform for the Broncos on Sunday, there was only one who didn’t step on the field.

That was right tackle Ryan Harris, a 16-game starter in 2008 and starter in 2009 until a broken toe ended his season in early November.

Harris missed the first three games of this season with an ankle injury, but returned to the starting lineup two weeks ago at Tennessee. But after a rough day in Baltimore last week, coaches opted to give Beadles another shot at right tackle. (Beadles started the games when Harris was out).

On Monday morning, coach Josh McDaniels said Beadles played well enough Sunday against the New York Jets to remain the starter. Though McDaniels said the spot remains “competitive,” this is bad news for Harris, who is in the final year of his contract in Denver.

“I thought [Beadles] played tough in there, did a decent job in pass protection against a team that really gives you a lot of different looks and brings different types of pressure,” McDaniels said.

McDaniels said Harris’ demotion was the result of “a combination of a lot of things,” including the ankle injury he suffered in the preseason finale at Minnesota. Because of the two injuries, Harris made only one start from Nov. 1, 2009 until two weeks ago.

Beadles, though, is projected long-term in the NFL at guard, and McDaniels late last week even referred to Beadles — a second-round pick from Utah — as a “jack of all trades, master of none.” So it remains unclear what the team’s long-term plans are at right tackle. Certainly McDaniels is leaving the door open for Harris to earn back his starting job. However, his reps will certainly decrease in practice.

“They compete in practice hard,” McDaniels said. “If it makes them both better, that’s a great thing for our team.”

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.